MckMama is having a giveaway!

One of my favorite mom bloggers, MckMama is having a great giveaway. Go on over to her blog and check it out. HERE.

She is a very faithful woman who does not hold back her feelings. Through rough days and great days, she is very forth coming about her faith. If you take the time to read about her beautiful MSC, you will be amazed. Her youngest Stellan is a true miracle in every way. I promise you will fall in love with her blog.

Swag Bucks!

I want to introduce you all to a great way to earn FREE stuff. SWAGBUCKS is a search engine that works just like all of the other search engines with one large exception. You can earn Swagbucks when you search. It is just as easy as your regular Internet search.

My favorite way to redeem my Swagbucks is for Amazon.com gift cards. It only takes 45 Swagbucks to earn a $5 Amazon gift card. I have several links on the right toolbar it is as easy as clicking on one of the links. It will take you to the Swagbucks site a quick registration and you are all set.

COUPON CLASS!!!!!!

So it is official...I am ready to teach a coupon class. That's right, I am ready to come to you where ever you are and teach you the secrets of The Super Coupon Mom. These classes are going t be so much fun, and you will be amazed at the amount of money you will be able to save your family.

Here is how it works...If you are interested in hosting a party email me at supercpnmom@gmail.com. You have all been to or hosted the scrapbook, or cooking party. Now you have the chance to host a party that can teach you how to save money on those items as well.

Once you contact me I will send you invitations, and all the information that you need. In exchange for hosting you will get a special hostess gift, and your class fee is waved. Each of your guests will pay a $10 fee. They will receive the class material, and we will have lots of door prizes etc. I am already working with my first hostess, and I am looking forward to meeting so many of you.

I am available to teach classes anywhere in the Metro Houston Area. I will hold classes at your home, your community center, school cafeteria, even your church gym. Hostesses with groups of 50 or less will receive fill in the blank postcard size invitations. If you want to host a class at your church or other larger venue I will create custom invitations for your event.

I want you all to think outside the box...want to host an event at the church, turn it into a fill the pantry for the local food bank. Ask each guest to bring a non-perishable food item and I will donate special gifts for each guest that makes a donation.

I can't wait to get out there and meet you all and teach you all great ways to save your family lots of money. We can all use the help in these tough economic times.

Logical Media

I am still a relative newbie to the blogging scene. But, I am learning at a pretty quick rate. I am going to start writing a few promotional entries for companies. I will promise you that while I may/may not receive some form of compensation from the company I will ALWAYS give an honest opinion. I may not know all of the tricks but I am not afraid to ask questions. I have been asking a few other coupon bloggers and I have heard nothing but good things from all of them about Logical Media.

A couple of days ago I applied to be an affiliate blogger for them. This is a big step for me. I mean HUGE! But, I am assured by several women that I trust that it is a great program. If you are a blogger and would like to make your blog work for you. Follow this link and see what Logical Media has to offer.

A great way to save on your holiday printing

I went to Vista Print today to order some business cards and address labels. I am so excited to share these deals with you all.

Right now you can order 250 Free business Cards, all you pay is shipping. I even ordered an extra 250 after my original order on a special offer they made. Since I am not in need of these right now I was able to pay for the cheapest shipping and get all 500 for 3.67 and a little over $5 for shipping. I can't wait to get these. I really love the design i chose and I am excited to look for future deals for postcards, magnets, and letterhead.

They have another FREE offer right now for 140 Free Address Labels. All you have to pay is shipping. I joined a Christmas card exchange with a group of coupon/refund women all over the country and I am so excited to use these.

I think I might even order another set as gift tags. I will just leave the address off and only include TO: & FROM:.

One last promotion they have right now is 50% off Christmas Cards. So hurry and get that perfect shot ready and go order some great high quality custom cards.

If you are interested in any of the deals Vista Print is offering I have included a Widget on the right side of the blog. Simply follow that link to take advantage of a special offer just for my readers.

Target Toy Shopping and some groceries too!

It always amazes me that I can get so distracted sometimes when my sidekicks come shopping with me. We still did a great job at Target on Friday. Friday is usually my shopping time, since I get off work at 10:00. I go home get Captain Obvious, take him to pick up lunch and we go to Princess Random's school to join her for lunch. Then I get four hours to shop while Captain Obvious is at school too. This week though they had early release since it was the end of a grading period. So we all went to lunch together and made a quick shopping trip.

We did four transactions (I did two and each kid did one, they love doing their own transaction).

Transaction 1:

8- Chef Michael's Can Food $.87

4- Fancy Feast Appetizers $1.20

3- Scrubbing Bubbles $3.54

1- Windex $2.54

1- Goodlife Cat Food $4.49

1- Archer farms Artisan Bread $.99

1- Loaf Archer Farms Sandwich bread $2.39

4- Aluminum Reusable Water Bottles Clearanced from $8 to $2

1- Skippy Peanut Butter $1.93

6- Glade Oil Candles $2.50

7- Refills $2.50

Coupons Used:

Mfg.-

4-BOGO Chef Michael's

2-BOGO Fancy Feast Appetizers

1-$2/2 Scrubbing Bubbles

1-$1/1 Scrubbing Bubbles

1-$1/1 Windex

5- BOGO Glade Candle Tin get Refill Free

3-$1.50/1 Glade Candle

2- $2/2 Glade Candles

Target-

4-BOGO Chef Michael's

2-BOGO Fancy Feast Appetizers

1- $1/1 Skippy Peanut Butter

1- $.50 Archer Farms Bakery Product

1-$1/1 Archer Farms Bread

1-FREE $5 Gift Card WYB 4 Windex or Scrubbing Bubbles

Total before coupons: $108.61

Total After Coupons: $34.06

Savings: $74.55

Recieved 2 $5 Gift Cards for buying 10 Glade Candles, 1 $5 Gift Card for buying Scrubbing Bubbles and Windex.

Transaction 2:

8- Chef Michael's $.84

1- Skippy Peanut Butter $1.93

1- Archer Farms Bread $.99

Coupons Used:

Manufacturer:

4- BOGO Chef Michael's

Target:

4- BOGO Chef Michael's

1- $1/1 Skippy Peanut Butter

1- $.50 Archer Farms Bakery Product

Total Before Coupons:$10.24

Total After Coupons:$1.47

Savings:$8.77

Transaction 3:

8- Chef Michael's $.84

Coupons Used:

Manufacturer:

4- BOGO Chef Michael's

Target:

4- BOGO Chef Michael's

Total Before Coupons:$7.27

Total After Coupons:$0

Savings:$7.27

Transaction 4:

4- Wii Game $19.99

2- Wii Game $14.99

Coupons Used:

3- Target $10/2 Wii Games

2- Free games from promotion B2G1 Free

1-$5/50 Toy Coupon

1-$.05 Reusable Bag Credit

Total Before Discounts: $132.85

Total After Discounts: $42.80

Savings:$90.05

30 Days of Giving Day 9

For today's giving I went to CVS and bought two of the Nova Max Glucose Monitors. It was a great deal since it was free after ECB's and I know that the food pantry can certainly find someone that will be able to use them. It is never easy to have to deal with diabetes, but I hope that our donation will lighten someone's burden.

30 Days of Giving Day 8

Today's giving was a little different for us. Since it was a weekend for Captain Obvious and Princess Random to be with their dad we had very little family time.

So when they came home tonight I had cooked a great steak dinner and we all gave each other our time. We ate together and then we all went on a walk together.

It was something very special to give each other something that is a very precious commodity.

I am still looking for a few soldiers to send packages to. If anyone knows of a soldier please email me. Supercpnmom@gmail.com.

Target Toy Shopping

I went to Target today to get some groceries and see what Toy deals I could work.

I did two transactions so that I could use the gift cards from the first transaction on the second.

First transaction..

2-Lb Apples

2-Lunchables (Princess Random Really wanted them so it is a surprise for lunch tomorrow)

1-Disney Lunch Pack Raisins Clearance $1.62 (Surprise lunch)

1- Disney Fruit Snack ( Lunch)

1- Archer Farms Ciabatta $.99

1- G.I. Joe Costume Clearance $1.97

2- Candy Corn Clearance $.24

8- Chef Michael's can dog food $.84

2- Fancy Feast Appetizers $1.20

4- Under bed Storage Boxes Clearance $2.98

2- Christmas Mr. Potato Head $5.99

1- 2 Pack Ring Pop Clearance $.09

2- Nintendo DS Games $19.99

1- Windex Outdoor Window Washer Starter Kit $12.99

7- Glade Holiday Scents $2.50

3- Glade Holiday Scent Refills $2.50

Coupons Used

MFG.

$3/off Windex Outdoor

4-BOGO Chef Michael's

1-BOGO Fancy Feast Appetizer

3- $1.50/1 Glade Scented Oil

1- BOGO Glade Candle/Refill

3-$2/2 Glade Candle

2-$5/1 Mr. Potato Head

Target

1-BOGO Fancy Feast Appetizer

4-BOGO Chef Michael's Can Food

1- Free $5 Gift Card WYB Windex Outdoor

1-$.50 Archer Farms Bakery Product

1-$1/2 lbs. Apples

1-$10/2 Nintendo Ds Games

1-$5/50 Toy Purchase

Received 2 $5 Gift Cards for buying 10 Glade Candles, 1 $5 Gift Card for buying Windex Outdoor. Also received 1 $5/50 Toy Purchase.

Total OOP: $79.97

Total Savings: $

Transaction Two:

1-Leapfrog Tag Reader $39.99 (Reduced)

1- My Pal Violet $14.99 (Reduced)

Coupons Used:

MFG

1-$10/1 Leapfrog Tag Reader

Target

1-$10/1 Leapfrog Tag Reader

1-$5/1 My Pal Violet

1-$5/50 Toy Purchase

Used 3- $5 Gift Cards from first transaction and received 1 $5/50 Toy Purchase and 1 $5/75 Purchase.

Total OOP: $11.79

Total Saved: $

Old Navy $1 Scarves

Today only Old Navy is selling all of their Women's and Kids Scarves for $1. There is a 5 scarf limit, but most stores are doing that limit per transaction not per person. I got lots of cute scarves and also donated a bunch to the Boys and Girls club. These will definitely be under my tree this Christmas.

30 Days of Giving Day 6&7

Today giving opportunities seemed to be everywhere for me. It was nothing at all for me to see great ideas for giving of my time or resources.

Day 6: One of the girls on Princess Randoms soccer team has been missing practice, I wasn't aware why until I talked to her mom. Turns out that for financial reasons the mom has had to return to work, and now there is no one to take her to practice. I was able to convince her that I would love to come pick her up each week to ensure that she is able to come to practice. I know it made the mom happy, I know the daughter will be happy, and I know that Princess Random will be so excited. Win, win, win.

Day 7: Old Navy had one of the $1 sales this morning. This time it was their scarves. I went in to buy several for my little family and also for gifts. When I was checking out with my first transaction, I noticed a small sign on the counter asking for coats, hats, scarves and gloves to be donated. I went back and got more scarves and handed them to the cashier as a donation and several other people asked why. I hope that it maybe spurred a few more donations. It was nice to hear from the manager that the donations are for the local Boys and Girls club. SO all of the donations will stay in the area.

There has been a lot of talk about the blessings that come from giving. For me the biggest blessings are the positive thoughts that I have during a very trying time for me and my little family.

30 Days of Giving Day 5

Part of this challenge for me is to focus on Him, and on the amazing good He can accomplish when we trust in Him.

On the Facebook group for the challenge I read this quote someone posted and it has been ringing true for me today.

When seeds of kindness are sown prayerfully in the garden plot of our lives,we may be sure that there will be a bountiful harvest of blessings for both us and others. ~ W. Phillip Keller

One challenge that I face daily is allowing my emotions to be dictated by other people's actions. All too often i allow some small thing someone else says or does to create negative feelings inside me. There are three men that I work with that do just that to me. The industry I am in is a very male dominated one, and it is very typical for young men just starting to have HUGE ego's. As they grow with in the company the ego seems to shrink, but these three are not shrinking yet. They are the one's who think I am a terrible person because I am divorced, and feel the need to share with me and others exactly how they feel.

Today though I had an encounter with one of them and I immediately became so angry I was shaking. A few minutes later I was approached by yet another one...this one has just told us this week that he got married back in May and that he is expecting his first child in December. He was passing out flyer's for a baby shower for them and my first instinct was to mock him. I could not believe that I could be so shallow. So I prayed and regrouped, I realized that it was sad for him, his wife and their baby. See, his family is not being supportive, her family doesn't live here and they have very few friends. So I immediately decided that I would go through the stock pile and choose several great gifts for this sweet baby girl.

It was one of those moments in life where a moment of frustration can be either used for good or for bad. I am so thankful for this challenge for helping me remember to stay focused on the positive opportunities.

Target Toy Shopping

With the holiday season fast approaching I have started looking for great deals for Christmas gifts for all of the people on my list. I of course actually started this summer by watching the toy clearances, so i already have a few things put away.

Since there are so many great high dollar toy coupons out there in the weekly inserts and online, I have been trying to get a hold of as many as possible.

Now Target went and sweetened the deals by releasing all of the coupons from their Toy Book for online printing.

So now you can stack your Manufacturers coupon and Target Coupon.

The best deal i have seen so far is for Wii games. This week Target has all of their Wii games buy 2 get 1 free. This includes the ones that are already value priced at $14.99. So I bought 3 games $45. Minus $15 for B2G1 and then I used the Target Toy coupon for $10/2 Wii games. So I was able to get 3 Wii games for only $20.

It gets even better because it seems that using the coupon also triggers a $5/50 Toy purchase Catalina. This is a great one because it doesn't expire until Christmas Eve. So you have lots of time to collect and use them.

The rest of my Target trip today was to get more free dog and cat food and see what other clearance deals I could find.

Here was my haul.

40-Cans Chef Michael's Dog Food $.87-BOGO mfg c/o-BOGO Target C/o= FREE

5- Bags Purina Cat Treats $1.89- Try me Free Mfg. C/o= FREE

5-Playdoh Value Packs $4.99-Halloween Clearance for $1.24

14-Fancy Feast Appetizers $1.20 -BOGO Mfg C/o-BOGO Target C/o= FREE

1-Fancy Nancy Board Game Clearance $3.74

1-HSM Gem activity set Clearance $3.74

4- Kids DVD's $4.75

1-Transformers Temporary Tattoo Set $3.99 Halloween Clearance $.99

3-Wii Games $14.99-B2G1-$10/2= 3/$20

All told I made a great dent in my Christmas shopping, and I will definitely be going back for more.

Total Saved. $135.56

30 Days of Giving Day 3 & 4

Last night we had a great family talk about giving. It was so Awesome to watch the kids process the things we talked about. I loved the ideas that they had about the gifts that God has given them and how they can use their gifts for other people.

Our day three giving was a family decision to give some classroom items to Captain Obvious' Pre-K Class. Each month his teacher puts a list of things that she needs for the classroom. So we sent two boxes of Huggies wipes and a 3 pack of paper towels. He is always happy to bring things to his teacher so he was super excited.

For our day four giving we decided to give time to each other. We are so often bombarded by the craziness of our everyday lives that we forget to enjoy each other. So we enjoyed a nice family dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant. We used this time to further discuss giving with the kids. We talked about some of the opportunities we have found already to volunteer our time. We are going to work at the food pantry, help in the community garden and hopefully find a great place o help serve Thanksgiving Dinner to those in need.

My kids may be too young to understand the awesomeness of their actions, but it does amazing things for my heart to see how much they are not only willing but that they are wanting to give.

Target Deal

I have been trying to make time to run to Target for some more Free Chef Michael's can dog food. So On Saturday after our lovely lunch date we went to Target. I knew we needed to buy dry cat food as well, so we took the entire binder in to try to find the best possible deal.

I was so excited when the first page I turned to had my $3 off Goodlife Recipie Dog or Cat food coupons. The smallest bag target had was $4.49. So I was very happy to get 8 bags for $1.49 each. No this is not my lowest price point for cat food, but it was low enough that I decided to stock up until I could find a lower price point.

We were also able to get 16 more cans of Chef Michael's. Both of our dogs absolutley love this stuff. I am going to be spending a lot of time in Target coming up. The coupons expire in two weeks and I have enough for over 200 cans.

This works like this, stack 1 BOGO Mfg. Co with a BOGO Target Co. It is such a great deal that I traded for a lot of these coupons.

Good luck with these deals.

Don't forget to start looking for the great Target Christmas Toy Book.

30 Days of Giving

I have been meaning to write this stuff down and share with you guys. I have been inspired by a fellow blogger Alyssa, to join her movement this month. She has titled it 30 Days of Giving. Check out her blog here Kingdom First Mom.

Here is what we are doing. Starting on November 1st we are asking God to lead us all, to show us an avenue in which to give of ourselves.

It may be any form of giving, from time to money or any amazing gift in between.

God has blessed us all in so many ways, he gave us each special gifts that He wants us to use to spread His word.

So this month, I have chosen to give of myself in any way possible. In a time where my heart is hurting and my family is struggling through some really rough moments, I truly believe that this challenge is God calling me to stay focused on Him.

I realize that I am a day behind on my giving updates but I would like to write about yesterday and today in this first post.

I will take a photo each day just to help keep myself accountable.

Day 1. I was able to find a few extra moments this weekend to sort through my stockpile. I was able to pack up 1 large box, and several grocery bags full of grocery, baby, and hygiene items to donate to my local food pantry. The kids and I took all of this to Katy Christian Ministries. This is a charity that I hold dear.
They were so excited to help. They helped me load the car and they got to unload the car into a shopping cart and push it into the building. The volunteer who was there was so sweet and showed them around. He told us that the last two days they have served more than 300 families.

Day 2. Princess Random and Captain Obvious chose to give to their school's School Supply Drive. They are collecting books and school supplies to send to kids in Nigeria. So they went through the school supplies in the Stockpile. It really makes my heart glow to see them give so openly and proudly.

Iwant you all to know that this is not a bragging post... Oh look at me, look what I did. This is me trying to keep my self accountable.

I believe that as parents we have moments in life where we can truly teach our children what it means to be Christ like. For me this is one of those moments. When my kids see me broken from the stress of the last couple of months, I want them to see that I am not only human. Yes, mom's do cry...but, i want them to see that I picked myself up and stayed focused on Him. I believe that there is no greater lesson for them to learn.

I also believe that as blogger's we are given an amazing opportunity for outreach. What an easy amazing way to spread the message of God's love for us.

I challenge all of you to join the movement. Even if you think you have nothing to give. I challenge you to stop and listen. Pray, that he will lead you, and I am sure you will find a way to use the amazing gifts that he has given to you.

Premature Return

So I was so determined to return to my coupon shopping a few weeks ago. I had every intention of giving this my full attention. I had my no idea what chaos was waiting in the shadows for me and my family.

I have learned a lot in the past six weeks. I have never been more thankful to God for His mercy, and patience or for the amazing Angels He has placed in my life.

We are starting to see the light at the end of this tunnel. I am recovering from a horrible battle with a sinus infection and bronchitis, and now the LOML is feeling under the weather too.

I must say though that the Stockpile has been a major blessing in this time. the LOML HATES to shop. More than most people, I mean despises it. So while I was down for the count for 9 days it was nice to be able to go get stuff from the garage instead of loading everyone in the car and going shopping.

Princess Random and Captain Obvious will be with their dad this weekend, and we have plans to meet up with some great friends for a fun outing on Saturday. But I will be using my time Friday and Sunday to clip, organize, and hopefully shop. I will be back to blogging my great finds on Monday.

Lowe's Update

So I mentioned that I got those great Lowe's Gift cards as a gift for a trial membership. This ended up being a great deal. I have been putting off purchasing a few things we needed at the house because I dislike the thought of paying full price.

So I used this opportunity to purchase those items. I got a new outdoor trashcan, two large Sterilite storage containers, and my favorite...a NEW SHOWER HEAD!

We have wanted a shower head with a sprayer, and I found a great deal at Lowe's for one that had a hose and a fixed shower head. It is perfect.

The trash cans we have been using outside came with the house. I am pretty sure they were left because they were falling apart, but they served us well enough. It was definitely time for new ones.

I can always use more storage boxes for my stockpile. I like to find them on clearance and stock up. I would have spent all $50 on boxes, but apparently Lowe's is hard on them. I bought the only two that were still in one piece.

CVS is my favorite lunch spot!

My lunch date didn't happen today so I decided to try my luck with a CVS run. I am so glad that I did. I didn't even have my coupon binder with me. Luckily I had my trusty purse size organizer. This is where I keep all of my CVS coupons and ECB's so it worked out great.

This is how I did this.

Transaction #1...

10- CVS Permanent Markers Clearanced $.13 (If you are anything like me, you can never find one)

2- 3 Piece Stationary sets Clearanced $.25

7- Assorted Hannah Montana & HSM Coloring books Clearanced $.39

2- Tide stain Release gel pacs $4.00- 2x $1/1 Mfg c/o (blinkie on the shelf)

1- 12 Pack binder clips $.99 (rain check from july)

2- 2 Pack Dyna Pep Energy Shot $4.99 (rain check from a few weeks ago)

1- LaCross Tweezers $1

1-Lighter $.99

Total Oop $.52

CVS Coupons used

1x $5/$25

$15 ECB

Recieved $11 ECB's

Transaction #2

11- Assorted Hannah Montana & HSM Coloring books Clearanced $.39

1-16 Pack Duracell AA Batteries $10

1- Tide With Bleach Alternative $6 - $1/1 mfg c/o

1- Tide stain Release gel pacs $4.00- $1/1 Mfg c/o (blinkie on the shelf)

3- Tide stain Release liquid $4.00- 2x $1/1 Mfg c/o (blinkie on the shelf) and 1 $1.50/1 mfg c/o

2- Caramello $.89 (these were supposed to be BOGO Free but I missed that it didn't ring that way.

Total Oop $9.28

CVS Coupons used

1x $5/$25

$19 ECB's

Recieved $10 ECB's

So I got all of that for a grand total of $9.80.

Plus I got a rain check for the Dawn Hand Renewal that is on sale for $1. I have $1/1 Mfg c/o's that will make it FREE. My favorite word.

Where Have You Been Hiding?

I would like to apologize for my absence. I have had a rough couple of weeks; personal challenges that I never imagined facing. I have once again come through this battle with the help of God, and the angels he has placed in my life. Today marks my official return to the coupon world.

I have followed all of my favorite sites, and I am ready to get busy again.

It has been a blessing through these two weeks though to have a stockpile, it has made life so much easier.

So here I am back at the beginning. Tonight I am going to go to CVS and maybe Walgreen's depending on the amount of time I have. I really got myself fired up yesterday while Princess Random and Captain Obvious played in the front yard, I got to put away several piles of stuff that was waiting for a home in the Stock pile.

I hope to have a great update for you in the morning, including pictures. I cannot tell you all how much I have missed my money saving excursions. I don't actually remember the last time I made it to the store.

So here goes....

It is the first of the month, make sure you check all of the coupon printing sites.

They all reset on the first.

Also remember to go to Cellfire, U-promise and P&G E-saver to load your coupons on your Randall's and Kroger cards.

Good luck.

I am a little behind...

I know that I am behind on my coupon clipping when I can barely lift the bag I carry it all in.

This was my pile this morning.... about 8 inches tall.

Plus all of these clipped coupons still need to be organized.

If you want a little word of advice wait to clip your coupons until you have enough time to have them completely put away. I try to use any free moment to clip and then I end up with gallon bags filled with unorganized coupons. I know what I am doing for lunch today.

Great mail week this week...

Since the beginning of my coupon adventures I have felt like a kid going to check the mail every day. The anticipation you used to feel looking for something fun in the mail. I have gotten lots of great coupons through trades and coupons to try a produce FREE from the manufacturer. But this weekend I received my first refund check. This one was $3.99 for buying a Goody Ouchless Headband. I got the headband on sale for $3.99 minus $1 mfg c/o. So i made $1 profit off the headband. I also received $50 in Lowe's Gift Cards for purchasing a trial membership to a website called Complete Home. The trial membership was $1 so I made a $49 profit off the membership. My total profit was $50. Woo hoo what a great surprise in the mail.

Sunday Preview

Just to let you all know.... If you are planning to buy Sunday papers this week. It is a great week to buy extras. This Sunday there will be 5 inserts. I am so stoked.

There will be 3 Smart Source Inserts and 2 Red Plum Inserts.

And at a glance it looks like there are a lot of deals out there.

A quick look at my weekend deals

I had to go to work for a few hours on Saturday. When I left I decided to go to one more Target that I had not been to in search of a few last minute deals. The Gerber and Johnson's coupons were expiring so I wanted one last shot at the deals. I found 11 Johnson's Buddies and 12 Gerber Bottles. I also grabbed new colander and liquid measuring cup from the dollar section. I was very excited to find the Travel size Hungry Hungry Hippos $4.99-$4/1 mfg. printable c/o. I also grabbed two of the Blue Ray DVD Value Packs of the Hannah Montana Movie, one for my Princess Random, and one for her to give as a gift at an upcoming party. I have been needing storage boxes for my stockpile so I also grabbed two more 56qt Sterilite Boxes on clearance for $3.24. Of course I couldn't help but look for more Glade Candle Tins with Coupons, I found six more, $1.66 - $1.50/1 mfg. c/o.

I had made lunch plans, since I still had time to kill I stopped at Walgreen's to look for a few deals that I had heard about. I was able to find the Reese's Whips on Clearance for $.45 and was able to get 4 which got me 2 20oz Diet Cokes for free. I was also able to find a lot of the Walgreen's Children's Activity Books. Which I paid for with my Register Rewards for buying Breathe Right Strips.

All in all I had a successful morning.

I have a plan up my sleeve for a few of the Walgreen's books. I am working out the details now and will post as soon aas I have it all worked out.

My Personal One Week Challenge

Last Friday I made a quick trip to Target for cat food. I had just received the coupons I traded, and I decided to look for the Chef Michael's that would be free with coupons. I Grabbed a couple bags of cat food and a few of the Chef Michael's.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that the BOGO can of Chef Michael's wet food coupon rang up for the price of the dry food bag. Combined with the $3 Chef Michael's Bag mfg. c/o and the Target $1.50 off Chef Michael's Dry food, and Target BOGO can Chef Michael's it created a huge overage. With this overage I was able to also get the cat food for free. I decided when I got home that I would challenge myself to see how well I could work this deal. I originally was only going to shop at Target, but on Friday I realized that I was still about $30 from my $100 total so I made a stop at CVS. All in all it made for a very successful week.

My goal was to spend less than $100 in one week, how much I could get for that money and what I would save by doing so.

So here is my final total for one week.

14- Trial Size bag Chef Michael's ($.50)

9- Small Bag Purina Healthful Life Cat Food ($2.14)

6- 4 lb. Bags Meow Mix ($3.57)

1- 3.15 lb bag Friskies ($3.57)

40- Medium Bags Chef Michael's ($4.26)

85- Cans Chef Michael's ($.89)

1- Big Grab Bag Funyun's ($.99)

3- 20 oz. Bottles Aquafina ($1.29)

36- Johnson's Buddies Soap ($.97)

1- Can Snawsome Dog Treats

24- 8oz Gerber Baby Bottles ($.99)

19- 4oz Gerber Baby Bottles ($.99)

4- Ceaser's Bistro Dog Food ($

8- Meow Mix Can Food ($

3- Archer Farm's Artisan Bread ($.85)

25- Glade Candle Tin's ($1.66)

2- 4 pack Glade Candle Tin Refills ($2.50)

3- Glade Soy Candles ($4.49)

9- Large Bags Chef Michael's ($9.24)

5- Various Size M&M's ($.59)

2- Sterlite 56qt Containers ($5.00)

2-24 count Tylenol 8 hr ($.47)

1- Theraflu 24 ct ($.39)

4- Value Packs Coppertone Neutrashield ($1.29)

1- Coppertone Neutrashield ($1.29)

12- Coppertone Sport ($.97)

2- CVS Key ring Sunscreen ($.29)

20- Glade Carpet Fresh Powder($1.66)

1- NYC Blush (.29)

1- Neutrogena Base ($1.29)

6- Kodak B&W Disposable Cameras ($.97)

2- 24 count CVS Junior Ibuprofen ($.39)

2- 40 Count CVS Allergy Relief ($.39)

List of Coupons used...

MFG...

Free Trial Bag Chef Michael's

$3/1 Chef Michael's

BOGO Can Chef Michael's

$1/1 Glade Carpet Fresh Powder

$1.50/1 Glade Candle Tin

$3/1 Item from Glade Fragrance Collection

Free Glade Scented Oil Candle Refill When you buy Candle

BOGO Ceaser's Bistro

$1/4 Meow Mix Wet Food

$1 Snawsomes treats

Free Chocolate (free Chocolate Friday)

Target Printable...

BOGO Chef Michael's Can

$1.50/1 Bag Chef Michael's Dry Food

$1/1 Archer Farms Artisan Bread

$1/1 Gerber Feeding Accessory

$1/1 Johnson's Bath Product

CVS Coupon

$1.50/1 Coppertone Sunscreen

$5/30

$4/20

So the Grand totals...

Total before clearance and coupons- $1095.16

Total After Clearance and Coupons- $93.14

Total Savings- $1002.02

So my $100 dollars really stretched very well. I was so proud of how much I was able to get.

More Target Adventures

I have had such a great time this week finding all of the great deals at Target.

I am saving the picture for Friday...I want to do a full weeks shopping in one post. I can pretend all day that it is to impress you all. But really it is for me, I can't wait to see how well I did.

But, I do want you to know about a few of the awesome deals out there this week.

Gerber Baby Bottle Singles 8oz. and 4oz. $.99

$1 off Gerber Feeding Accessories Target printable

FREE

Johnson's Buddies Scrubbing Soap Bar. $.97

$1 off Johnson's Baby Product Target Printable

FREE

Chef Michael's Can Dog Food $.89

BOGO Mfg C/o

BOGO Target Printable

2 Cans FREE

Chef Michael's Dry Dog Food $4.26

$3.00 Mfg c/o

$1.50 Target Printable

FREE

Glade Fragrance Collection Large Candle in Jar $4.50

$3.00 Mfg c/o Printable Coupons.com

Glade Candle Tins $1.66

$1.50 Mfg c/o inside tin (open the tin and look for a loose piece of paper)

Glade Candle Refills $2.50

Free Refills when you buy Tin Mfg c/o Printable Coupons.com

Archer Farms Artisan Breads Price varies starts @ $.85

$1 off Archer Farms Artisan Breads Target Printable.

These are some of the AWESOME deals available this week.

I have found also that at some stores the BOGO Mfg c/o for the Chef Michael's Can Food is ringing up for the full value of the dry food, if you buy them both on the same transaction. Your mileage may vary on this, nut combined with the $3 Mfg c/o, the BOGO can food Target Printable and the $1.50 Dry Food Target Printable this can create some major overage. I have had several transactions this week that I have paid only the sales tax.

Need Target Printable Coupons try...

www.organicgrocerydeals.com

as well as

www.afullcup.com

Also visit...

www.coupons.com

and...

www.redplum.com

I can't wait to show you all my week of Target deals. I have been having so much fun with this one.

WOW Target Cat food trip.

So we had a great family night tonight, just the four of us at our favorite Mexican restaurant plus dessert at a great little boutique. After dinner I went to Target to grab some dry cat food. We were completely out and Target was next door to the restaurant.

Since I was in the pet food aisle and I had my Chef Michael's coupons with me I decided to grab a few transactions worth of that deal.

I got 16 cans of Chef Michael's wet food, 10 bags of Chef Michael's Dry food and 3 bags of Purina Healthful Life cat food.

16 cans @ $.89 each =$14.24

10 bags @ $4.59= $45.90

3 cat food @ $2.14 = $6.42

Total cost with out coupons =$66.56

Total cost after coupons =$4.14

Percent saved 94%

Walgreens and CVS 8-28

Since Captain Obvious has started Pre K, I decided to use my new found freedom on Friday afternoon with a CVS and Walgreens trip. I went to three Walgreens and got 15 Huggies wipes, 15 Character Bandaids, 2 more of the coveted Children's Activity Books and 4 coloring books.

At CVS I was able to get 1 case of Gold Emblem bottled water, two rolls of CVS paper towels, I pack of CVS cookies, 1 bottle CVS liquid hand soap, 3 boxes of Sani Hands for Kids hand wipes, 1 Canister of CVS sanitizer wipes and 4 packs of Kotex Panty liners.

My grand total oop was $19.93.

Kroger Double Day Saturday 8/15

Tomorrow is the big day at Kroger. Kroger stores in Texas will be doubling coupons up to and including $1. This can create some amazing deals. Don't forget to get the Sunday paper on saturday, because there are some great deals in this weeks paper too.

They will only double one like coupon so plan your trip well.

I have been following a blogger in my area who has done all of us a huge favor and created a great Excel spreadsheet of great deals.

http://katycouponers.blogspot.com/2009/08/kroger-doubles-in-txla-saturday-8-15.html

Open the google document and go to file - export- .xls. This will allow you to edit the document in Excel, and print it as large as you need it.

Hope that everyone has a great trip.

Back to School Shopping

I am so excited about back to school shopping this year. Princess Random will be in second grade and she is so excited to get back to school. This year will also be Captain Obvious' first year at the elementary school. I can't believe he has gotten so big.

Tradition in my family was that each kid got a special day alone with Mom to do our school shopping. It was always a special day, I have a lot of fond memories of these shopping trips. I remember how special it made me feel. Every year this special day would end with a Back to School fashion show. Which was always a lot of fun.

This year I will take Captain Obvious first since it is his first time, and I am really stoked about this special time with my son.

But, always trying to save a buck, I am always on the lookout for coupons to make my limited budget stretch a lot more.

My mom got this flyer in her mail this weekend and passed it on to me. There are two 15% coupons for The Childrens Place. We will definitely be using these. I love their jeans, and I have always appreciated that they have very high standards. Their pants last a long time even being worn by a four year old.

I am also going to try to get a great coupon in the weekly Old Navy Coupon Hunt. I have never been lucky enough for a big dollar one, but I would be thrilled to get a 15% off for Old Navy too.

FREE Highlighters and $.04 Huggies Wipes

WOW!!!!

Walgreens is HOT this week.

Remember that I found the $2 off Huggies coupon in a flyer at the front of Walgreens? So even though it says it is a mfg coupon it is a misprint. You can stack it with a mfg coupon since it is a store coupon.

So some Walgreens sell their Huggies wipes for $2.79. So I used my $.75 coupons I posted about yesterday that I found at Marble Slab and stacked it with the Walgreens coupon. Making each box of wipes $.04. WOW!!! Even if you don't have kids in diapers this is a phenomenal item to pick up to donate to a food pantry or the Church Nursery. I know many of mine will be going to Katy Christian Ministries. So many of the food pantries are really hurting right now. More need because of the economy combined with less donations because of the economy.

I also found a coupon for Sharpie Highlighters $1/1. Walgreens has a four pack on sale for $.99 cents this week. I grabbed a small filler item just to make sure it didn't freak out the machine to have overage.

So today's lunch break I spent $1.91 and I got

22- Boxes Huggies Wipes

10- 4pk Sharpie Accent Highlighters

1- Sharpie Permanent Marker

I didn't drive to work today so I don't have a picture of all the wipes I will take one tomorrow when I get them all home.

Good Luck.

Sharpie Coupon. It is a PDF file and while they are not always legit, i have emailed the company and I am assured that they are legit. Here is the link. You can print as many as you want.

http://schoolyearseve.cookiemag.com/pdf/SYE_Coupon.pdf

FREE Huggies Wipes

Here is a hot tip for you all...

Marble Slab Creamery had free Huggies Wipes Samples right on the counter. There are also $.75 mfg c/o there as well.

Good luck hope that you are all able to find some.

Please remember to be a responsible couponer and only take a reasonable amount, leave some for others.

Target $19.07

When I was looking for coupons for cat food yesterday I discovers that I had a whole batch of Target coupons that expired the same day. These were some great high dollar coupons that were in a mailer Princess Random found in the parking lot of a Target a while back. I have used several and didn't want the rest to go to waste. So I went through the rest of my coupons to match up what ever coupons I could.

I was able to match several coupons so this is what the transaction looked like

2- Bags Chef Michael Dog Food ($4.49, 2- $3.50 i/p mfg c/o, 2- $1.5o Target c/o)

4- Cans Chef Michael Dog Food ($.89 , 2 BOGO Target c/o)

1- Bag Meow Mix Cat Food

1- Bag Purina Cat Chow Healthful Life (I don't remember the price - Free Target c/o)

1- Bag Hefty Bowls (I don't have the receipt with me right now)

1- Box Bounce Dryer Sheets (I don't have the receipt with me right now)

1- 10 Pack Hanes Underwear For Girls (BTS Promo $5.00, 1- $1.00 Target c/0)

I will update the actual prices of the last few items when I have the receipt.

CVS Weekend shopping

I only did one trip to CVS this weekend so I had to make it count.

I have to remind you to always scan your card at the price checker before you start. It is a fantastic little deal. This time I got 3- Free Hair Coloring up to $10 c/o's and a $5/$25.

I even got a bonus and didn't have to count this trip in my Grocery Budget because my dad gave me money for just this. He encourages my coupon shopping and as he was leaving from visiting us handed me the money to do this shopping.

I got

1- Swiffer Wet Jet Pads Refill

2- 3 Packs of CVS Paper towels

4- Packs of Sour Patch Kids

14- Value Packs of Twizzlers Various flavors

4- Three Packs of Winterfresh Gum

3-Three Packs of Juicy Fruit

4- Three Packs Extra Gum

3- Loreal Preference Hair Color

1- 24 Pack of CVS Toilet Paper

7- Three Musketeers Bars

9- Snickers Bars

6- Twix bars

Unfortunately I don't have my reciept with me to explain the transactions in more detail, but I got a lot a of great deals and I do know that it was seven transactions.

Before anyone asks, No, we won't be eating all of the candy. I will use it for giftbaskets etc.

Another Lunch Break Adventure

I ran to CVS and Kroger today during my lunch break and scored some really great deals.

CVS...

2- Listerine Smart Rinse/ Agent Cool Blue (Clearance $2.85, 1-BOGO mfg. c/o, 1- $1 mfg. c/o)

1- CVS Toothbrush ($1.99, 1 Free CVS Toothbrush C/O)

4- Three Musketeers (2/$1, $1/2 mfg. c/o)

6- Twix (2/$1, $1/2 mfg. c/o)

1- 7 pack CVS Erasers (Rain Check $.99)

2- Three Packs Juicy Fruit (2/$4, 2- $1 mfg. c/o)

2- Three Packs Extra (2/$4, 2- $1 mfg. c/o)

2- Three Packs Winterfresh (2/$4, 2- $1 mfg. c/o)

Oop = $11.30

ECB's $5-$1

Total = $5.30

Savings of 93%

NOT BAD

Kroger...

14- Oral B Indicator Tooth Brushes (10/$10, 7 $.50/2 coupons double)

16- Glade Scented Oil Warmers ($1.99, 8 BOGO mfg. c/o, generates $1 catalins for each one)

1- New York Style Foccacia Sticks ($3.99, Free store c/o)

2- Beamans Gourmet Sausage ($5.39, BOGO sale, Free store c/o)

1- Private Selections Asparagus and Hollandaise sauce ($2.99, Free Store c/o)

The Kroger near my office is having a Grand Re-Opening and sent my mom some great coupons for lot's of free groceries so I went there with the intention of looking for the toothbrushes and air freshener.

Oop = $23.26

Catalinas = $13.00

Total = $10.26

Savings of 77%

This photo also has my Sushi for lunch pictured. No I didn't have a coupon for that. Bummer.

WOW So if I had paid retail price for this stuff today I would have spent $137.85. Not a bad way to spend my lunch hour.

Walgreens $8

I also made a Walgreens run tonight, I had picked up a stack of the new Back to School Coupon Pamphlets earlier this week. I wanted to get some Huggies Wipes with the coupon, so I could pass them on to a friend who had a baby.

Walgreens sells their Huggies Wipes for $2.79 this coupon is a $2 mfg c/o. It is not a Walgreens Coupon so it won't stack.

Still $.79 wipes is a great deal.

I got...

6- Huggies Wipes (1 $2 mfg c/o) It automatically took $12 off with just the one c/o.

1- High School Musical 3 Card Game $2.99 Clearance. This will be a great Christmas gift.

Another CVS trip

I made another quick trip to CVS this evening.

I was looking for the Blink Tears that are an ECB Deal this week. But they are all out. But I got a Rain Check.

I did find...

2-Listerine Smart Rinse Clearance for $2.29 (1-BOGO mfg c/o)

1- Bag of Cotton Squares

11- Clairol Naturals Loving Care Hair Color (11-$4 mfg c/o)

Minus 1 $5/$25

Minus one $2 ECB

Total Oop $3.43

Kroger Trip Week of August 4-10

This was my most expensive shopping trip this week.

I spent $60 Oop.

Ouch!

But I got a lot for my money.

4-cans biscuits ($.44)

12 - Crest Toothpaste - 10/$10 ($.50 mfg c/o) Remember Kroger doubles up to .$50 so FREE!

3- Family Packs Chicken Breast (Reduced for quick sell)

1- Family Pack Chicken Thighs (Reduced for quick sell)

1- Pack Ground Beef (Reduced for quick sell)

1- Family Pack T-Bone Steaks (Reduced for quick sell)

1- Pack Honey Ham

2- Loafs of bread ($.79)

1- Bag Red Beans

2- Tide Stain Booster ($.75 mfg c/o) P&G $4/4

4- Herbal Essences Shampoo (BOGO mfg c/o) P&G $4/4

2- Herbal Essences Conditioner (BOGO mfg c/o) P&G $4/4

3- Twizzler Cinnamon (Clearance $.79 - $1/3 mfg c/o)

Pssssst...

A while back I signed up for a consumer panel for General Mills called Psssst. I am so excited about this opportunity.

I just received my first testing assignment from them. I will be going tomorrow to get my free product. Next week I will write my first product review, and I will also be passing out great high value coupons to interested people.

So stay tuned to see what I thought of this product.

CVS Trip this week

This weeks CVS trip was a great success. I received another $5 off $25 from the magic coupon printer to go along with the one I already had. I needed to either create two $25 transactions or one $50.

This is the break down of what I got.

4- Downy Fabric Softener (4- $.50 mfg c/o)

2- Clorox Color Safe Bleach (2- $1 mfg c/o)

6- Listerine Agent Cool Blue (6- $1 Ip c/c + 3 BOGO mfg c/o)

2- 4 Packs CVS Batteries (1 Free AA Battery CVS c/o + BOGO Sale this week)

2- Packs Sour Patch Kids (1 $1 CVS c/o)

1- Venom Energy Drink (1 Free mfg c/o)

1- 8 Pack CVS Paper Towels (1 $1 CVS c/o)

2- Scrubbing Bubbles Instant Shower Cleaner Refills (1 BOGO Mfg c/o)

8- Clairol Natural Loving Care Hair Color (8 $4 mfg c/o)

Total Oop.- $15.63

The Big Question

So I have decided to address the biggest question I have faced since starting my coupon shopping.

Why do you do it? It can't be worth it? You are doing as much as a second job!

I hear these questions a lot. Yesterday I was actually ridiculed by a guy at work because I was working on my coupons at my desk during my lunch break.

His ridicule made me wonder for all of a few seconds. Then I remembered why I do this.

Yes, it does take a lot of work. Yes, it is over whelming sometimes. But, I have said it before, and I will say it again. I am a mom and partner first. The three people who I am responsible for make every minute that I spend couponing worth it.

My coupon shopping allows us to have food on the table, a roof over our head, and the bills paid. Before I started this our grocery spending was in excess of $600 a month. Now I am able to feed all four of us, and all six animals for under $300.

I hope that as I continue to grow in this endeavor I will be able to lower that amount even more.

I thought that this would be a good time to show you what I do each week in order to accomplish this.

These pictures were taken this week on my iPhone so they are not the best quality.

I start on Saturday by reading the coupon preview on Refund Cents. This helps me decide how many papers I am going to want.

This week I learned that there were going to be five inserts in the paper. One Proctor and Gamble Brand Saver, One Kellogg's insert, One Red Plum insert and two Smart Source. Based on this I decided to get 20 papers. This is by far the most I have bought, but I used my ECB's and gift card. So I didn't have to pay out of pocket making it a great start to the week.

This is one stack of coupons, only one quarter of the ones I clipped this week.
The remaining three fourths of the coupons waiting to be clipped.
My recycle bin in my office. I give this a work out when I clip at work.
This is one bag of two of clipped coupons. Time to start sorting.

Swag Bucks

Many people have asked me how I find all of these great deals. I have a great trick for those of you who are online alot.

SWAGBUCKS

That's right we all know what Swag is... we all wish we could get the fab Swag the stars get.

Well here is your anwser. Swag Bucks.com

All you have to do is go to www.swagbucks.com, register your email address, and add me as a friend.

Use Swag Bucks the same as you would any other search engine.

Need a recipie? Need a question anwsered? Just search through Swagbucks. You will earn swagbucks s you search. Redeem your Swag Bucks for giftcertificates and other great Swag.

I like to get the Amazon $5 gift card. I know I will be able to use them (think Christmas) and they are only 45 Swag Bucks.

Give it a try today. Don't forget to add me as a friend and spread the word to all of your friends.

Walgreens Friends and Family Day Tomorrow 7/31

Don't miss tomorrow's Friends and Family Day at Walgreens. Print out the coupons I have here

http://www.walgreens.com/dmi/instorespecials/default.html?ec=hn1028sr_getcoupon

and take 15% off entire purchase and 20% off Walgreens Brand purchases.

Don't forget to buy their pharmacy plan card. It is $20 for one year and you ear 10% of your Wlagreenss brand purchases in rewards. So if you buy the card, then buy a walgreens gift card for the amount you are planning on spending, make sure and scan your Pharmacy Card. You will be credited 10% of the value of your gift card. Then when you go check out scan your pharmacy card again and the 10% will be deducted from your current transaction, then pay with the gift card you bought.

So a $20 giftcard just took $2 off your next transaction. Plus you get a great coupon book for signing up for the pharmacy card. Make sure to ask the pharmacist about it.

Episode Three.... Brand New Store....

This episode finds our hero well rested from a few days alone with her One True Love, and ready to shop till she drops in her continued effort to save the Almighty Dollar.

Fresh from a great clearance score at Target Super Coupon Mom heads to the other side of the highway to take on the newest CVS in the area.

"WOW!" She exclaimed as she entered the bright and clean store. "This is shaping up to be a promising outing."

Without delay Super Coupon Mom grabs her handy shopping cart, and heads straight to the Magic Coupon Machine.

The Magic Coupon machine must have been in a good mood today, because Super Coupon Mom scored a $5 off $25 coupon. "Woo Hoo!" She thought to herself, "If I can create a pre coupon total over $50 I can use both of the $5 off $25 coupons that I have."

Super Coupon Mom immediately began to calculate her transaction in her head.

"What high dollar items do I need to add to the stockpile?" she asked herself.

Quickly figuring that she definitely needed to add laundry detergent to the stockpile Super Coupon Mom set out to build her transaction around that goal.

After a thorough scan of the CVS Flyer Super Coupon Mom sees that CVS has Arm & Hammer Laundry Detergent on sale at 2/$6.99 with a $2 ECB for each set of two. Since the transaction limit was three per card. Super Coupon Mom quickly added six bottles to her cart.

"That will be a great start to building up to $50, now I need to find a way to fill in the difference." She said to herself.

Quickly remembering the three things she knew she had coupons for Super Coupon Mom added 16 individual packs of Mentos Gum, 1-3 Pack of Mentos Gum, 2 Composition Books (On both kids school supply list), 2 cases of bottled water and 2 packages of cashews. Having finally achieved a total of $51 Super Coupon Mom exclaimed, "Perfect, now to the checkout to save the Almighty Dollar."

With a skip in her step our Hero heads to the cashier already feeling triumphant.

After handing the stunned cashier her coupons and ECB's Super Coupon Mom paid only $14 oop.

AHHHHH... But wait. That $14 came from the gift card that CVS so nicely rewarded me with last week for filling prescriptions with them. So Super Coupon Mom’s total OOP is $0.

Giddy with her victory Super Coupon Mom passes the time by counting her new ECB's as she waits patiently for the cashier writes up her Rain checks for some of the school supplies they were out of.

New ECB's totaling $13 and another $5 off $25 in hand Super Coupon Mom Heads home to rest and prepare for her next adventure.